Hoffman film to close Asheville Cinema Festival

ASHEVILLE The film "Quartet," the directorial debut of Hollywood legend Dustin Hoffman, will be screened at 7 p.m. on Nov. 4 during the closing night of the Asheville Cinema Festival.

The movie, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival last month, is the story of a home for retired singers that is disrupted with the arrival of a former star who is an eternal diva and former wife of a resident. Its stars include Maggie Smith, Michael Gambon and Tom Courtenay. The movie won't see wide release until January.

The movie that will open the festival is "Silver Linings Playbook. Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper and Robert DeNiro star in the comedy-drama that will screen Nov. 1 at the Cinema Festival, well in advance of its nationwide release on Thanksgiving weekend. In the film, Cooper plays a former teacher who is fresh out of a mental hospital and moves back home, where he connects with a mysterious woman (Lawrence) with her own issues.

The Asheville Cinema Festival runs Nov. 1-4 with screenings at the Biltmore Grande, Asheville Community Theatre and the Masonic Temple theater. Tickets will go on sale in mid-October, Tannehill said.